Machine for gathering turnips



Aug. 23,1927.

H. KRAUSE MACHINE FOR GATHERING TURNIPS Filed Dec. 24. 1926 Wham-s r Fig. 1

UNITED ST ATE' HELLMUTH xaausn, or scnxnrrnAnNEAnsonxoLnN, GERMANY, .ASSIGNOR or own-HA F T EDWIN ntr nsic, or SGHKEITBAR NEAR SCHKOLEN, GERMANY.

' MACHINE r03 GATHERING 'runmrs. I

Application med December 24, 1926, Serial No. 156,945, and m'ee'man November 18, 1926.

This invention relates to an improved ma-' chine for gathering turnips, andt-he novelty ,consists'in the fact that *a motor mounted on the truck of the machine sets ap'lurality 5 of horizontal shafts forming the corners of a triangle in rapid rotation by "means of a chain gearing comprising two parallel end,-

less chains between which grippers ar'e'iare ranged*for"=lifting the turnips from. the

ground and leading them to a'collector provided for this purpose. 1

The accompanying drawing illustrates the improved machine: Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a side, view and a plan-{view of thesame, while Figs. 3, 4 and 5 show details thereof on a larger scale, respectively in a-plan View and two different side views partly in section.

The machine comprises a truck to be drawn by animals, with the conventional lifter for loosening and raising the turnips I somewhat from the ground. The upper framing a: of said truck carries a motor- 2,

which .by suitable gears serves for driving.

- three horizontal shafts a, b, a forming the corners of a triangle. Each shaft carries two chain-wheels d, d, e, e, f,'f, of which the two latter wheels are larger than the other wheels and resiliently mounted. Over said chain-wheels two parallel endless chains 9, g are led in clockwise direction, which contain each, in uniform distribution thereon, a plurality of ratchet-wheels h, h in which spacing axles i are revolubly mounted and arrested by spring-pawls k on the ends of said axles in gear with said ratchet-wheels. Each axle 2' carries a tonglike gripper Z, of which the short rear members are acted upon by 'a pressure-spring m, and a turning-lever n between the tong members, of which the short rear arm is weakly spring-influenced by means of a spring t (Figs. 3 and 5). and fitted with a cross-member 0 embracing with its bent ends theouter faces of the short rear members of the tongs and holding the latter in this.

position with the pressure-spring m tensioned. The tensioning of the spring m is effected by two vertical bolts p, p facing one ing of the turning-lever n the rear crossanother and arranged at such a distance bemember 0' ofthe latter embraces said short lever and the former for the short arm of the same and which act to turn the axles 2" each time so far that thetongs'assume the required position, in which they are held by the spring-pawls k. Furthermore, he

tween said chains and atthe upper horizon-- tal side of the triangle mentioned, a cutter.

s is arranged .which cuts the tops' of the turnips-"passing along thesamej The frame w carries further a shaking screen operated by the motor .2, and. two

- collectors, onefor the turnipsand the other for the cut turnip tops, Which can be opened and discharged upon adjustable chutes, all this being already known in the art and not forming part of the present invention.

The operation of the improved" machine is as'follows :The chain'gearing leads each gripper to a loosened turnip, the lever n bearing then upon the top of the latter and being pressed upwards about its fulcrum.

Thereby,"the short lever arm 0 is turned 7 downwards and frees the tensioned spring m wherebythe tongs Z are allowed to grip the turnipp The latter is then moved upwards along the inclined side of the triangle mentioned, at the top of which the short lever arm 0 strikes against the roller g, which brings the tongs Z into horizontal position While turning the same on the axle i and operating the pawls 70. Then, the turnip passes along the cutter s which cuts the top thereof, the latter falling into the collector above-mentioned. At the same moment, the

gripper Zpasses between the tWOVGItlCfll bolts, p, p, which are so distanced from one another that they do not form an impedimerit for a free passage of the turnip therethrough', whilethey cause the tongs Zto closeat their short rear ends whereby the turnip is freed from the gripper and falls into the other collector above-mentioned. During the compression of the short tong members and tensioning of the spring m the free lever n is turned so that its short rear arm 0 embraces again the rear tong members and keeps the spring m in tensioned position. During the further advance of the chain gearing, the long arm of the lever n is, then,

at the end of the horizontal side of the triangle mentioned, brought in contact with the roller 1", which turns the axle '11 with a tree slipping of the pawls 7: on their ratchetwheeis until the gripper 1 assumes the required 'lresh position for its descent along the vertical side of the triangle mentioned, in which position it is held by the p'awls 7c and passed to another turnip for -a further operation in the way described.

What I claim, is

1. The combination, in a machine for gathering turnips, with a truck, a motor mounted on the latter, three horizontal shafts rcvolubly arranged on said truck and forming the corners of a triangle, a chain gearing for driving said shafts from said motor and comprising two parallel endless chains, and tonglike grippers having short rear arms and long gripping members-arranged between said chains and adapted to lift the turnips from the vground of spacing axles between said chains on which said grippers are mounted, ratchet-wheels on said chains in which said axles are revolubly mounted, and spring-pawls on the ends of said axles in gear with said ratchet-wheels 2. In a machine as specified in claim 1, a pressure-spring arranged between the short rear arms of each gripper, and a turningleyer having a long arm ezt-tei'iding between the long gripping members of said grippers and a weakly spring-influenced short arm a weakly spring-influenced short arrn adapted to embrace theshort rear arms'of saidgrippers and to keep said spring 'tensloned, and stationary means located adjacent the turnip collector for operating the grippers to release the turn-1p.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. A V U HELLMUTH KRAUSE; 

